Lynn Swann
Background * R, 54, Sewickley Heights, 412-325-8888. * Lynn Swann on Wikipedia * running for Governor in 2006 against Ed Rendell and Russ Diamond. Links * William Scranton *2006 Swann for Governor campaign website *Political donations made by Lynn Swann' Media * Swann Struggles in Rookie Political Season By Peter Jackson, AP, July 12, 2006, HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Lynn Swann was known on the football field for making his most spectacular catches with the game on the line. It won him four Super Bowls with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a spot in the Hall of Fame and a celebrity that has catapulted him to the Republican nomination for governor. But in his rookie season in politics, the smooth-talking Swann often has failed to find his footing, struggling to articulate his vision beyond the bumper-sticker shorthand of tax cuts, spending caps and government reform. * Lynn Swann-review-Pintek Issues Being able to govern effectively requires that you know exactly what you believe in and where you want to take the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. On the following pages, you will be able to read what Lynn believes are our state’s greatest challenges, and what he believes we need to do to confront these challenges. Our party needs a principled conservative with a vision to get government under control, lower the tax burden on our working families and job creators, and make sure that our children have the opportunity for a quality education that will give them the skills they need to succeed. In short, we need a Governor who offers fresh and energetic leadership and a vision that offers opportunities for Pennsylvanians. Creating Economic Opportunities The greatest challenge of the next Governor is to put Pennsylvania’s economy back on track. “The reality is that this Governor has failed us when it comes to creating jobs. That is why he received a grade of ‘F’ for job creation by a non-partisan group, and just ask any Pennsylvania family, the ‘F’ doesn’t stand for fine!” -Lynn Swann The greatest challenge of the next Governor is to put Pennsylvania’s economy back on track. Because of Pennsylvania’s higher taxes and excessive regulations, we have all but missed the recovery you hear about nationwide. Pennsylvania is crippled by an absolute refusal of the current administration to curb spending or lower taxes on job creators. A study conducted a few years ago found that business taxes per employee were 58% higher than the national average. In fact, Pennsylvania ranks 5th highest in the category of business taxes collected per employee. That has not changed under Governor Rendell. Take for example the Rendell tax increase of 2003. While the administration fought for the increase of the Personal Income Tax (PIT) as a way to pay for their out of control spending, they never once considered the impact it would have on our job creators. Business partnerships, “S”-corporations, limited liability corporations, and other similar small businesses pay their taxes through the PIT. Governor Rendell’s initial tax increase plan, an increase in the PIT by 34%, would have cost small businesses $3.2 billion over 8 years. Raising taxes on our job creators is not the way to turn around the economy. After all, it is estimated that small businesses create almost 70% of our new jobs. A recent study concluded that Pennsylvania missed creating over 33,000 new jobs in 2004 alone thanks to the Rendell tax increase. Instead of ranking in the bottom half of the country in job creation, we could have climbed into the top 20. Our Corporate Net Income Tax is currently at 9.99%. This gives us the distinction of having the 3rd highest rate of the 44 states that have corporate income taxes. When it comes to spending, this administration has never seen a dollar it hasn’t wanted to spend. The past three Rendell budgets have increased spending by over 18%, and the cost of government per family has increased $2,700 for each family of four. This is real money, our money, and even that isn’t enough. Rendell has proposed fee and tax increases that our legislative leaders have stopped, or these numbers would be even higher. The Swann Agenda Lynn Swann would tackle the challenges facing Pennsylvania differently than the current administration. The basis of Lynn Swann’s vision for turning around Pennsylvania will be to attack our problem of higher taxes and increased spending. Lynn understands the states that tax the least do the best when it comes to job creation, and this would be his guiding principle in fostering an environment to create jobs. Offering job creators and individuals tax relief is only half of the equation. Getting a hold of runaway spending is the other half. Lynn understands that we have to move from budgeting how much we want to spend and then raising taxes to pay for it. We need a Governor with clear priorities and the willingness to make the tough decisions; that includes reigning in runaway spending. Lynn believes every department of state government must be examined, and we must cut every penny of waste from our government. Politicians in Harrisburg need to learn that the money they are spending is the people’s money and it should be handled with the same care as their own checkbook. A Swann Administration would push an economic agenda that includes lower taxes, less spending, infrastructure improvements, and an improvement in the business climate as a whole through bettering our tort system and improving the access to and affordability of health care. Specifically, Lynn Swann has proposed an historic $1 billion tax relief proposal to encourage small business investment and aid Pennsylvania job creators; including: * Enacting an accelerated phasing-out of the Capital Stock and Franchise Tax (CSFT) in order to encourage business development; * Reducing Pennsylvania’s Corporate Net Income Tax (CNIT) to encourage greater economic activity and job creation in Pennsylvania’s businesses; * Returning the Personal Income Tax (PIT) back to 2.80% to provide Pennsylvania’s employees with a greater percentage of their paychecks; * Phasing-out the inheritance tax rate to protect senior citizens, small family-owned manufacturing and non-manufacturing businesses, and family farms; and * Reforming the regulatory process by requiring sunset dates for all regulations. ---- Preparing Our Children to Compete “The most basic job of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is to provide an education that will lead to opportunity for our children." Preparing Our Children to Compete “The most basic job of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is to provide an education that will lead to opportunity for our children. Our current administration has not been a leader in education, and the real losers have been our children.” - Lynn Swann In 2002, Pennsylvania was recognized as an innovator in education. The Ridge-Schweiker Administration ushered in charter schools, the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC), and gave hope to failing school districts. Programs such as Read to Succeed and Link to Learn put our school-aged children ahead of the curve. Over the past three years, Pennsylvania has lost its status as an innovator and instead we have become known as a spender. Pennsylvania spending on education ranks in the top ten, but our test scores rank in the bottom five. The current administration believes that the best way to solve our education challenges is to throw more money at the problem, when in reality resources are not the only answer to the problem. In 2002, Standard and Poor’s did an extensive report on education in Pennsylvania. The results were eye opening. It found that a full 60% of all schools with above average PSSA scores actually spent below the state average per pupil. It also found that 33% of schools with below average scores actually spent above the state average per pupil. Lynn Swann believes that we need to continue to invest in our education systems, but spending is not enough. In fact, money alone cannnot guarantee a child a quality education. Fundamental change is necessary in education if we are to guarantee every child the opportunity to receive a first class education. The first thing the next administration must do is put our children first. Lynn believes that education decisions should be made primarily with the interests of students in mind. Lynn will fight for increases in accountability and standards. It is important that we measure student’s progress on education, and it is equally important that we have the mentality to reward success and hold our education system accountable for failure. We also need to focus on literacy and math as basic building blocks for education. By focusing on these two areas early on in a student’s development, we will be arming our students with the most basic of skills that will serve them well as their education advances. Lynn believes that we must give students who are stuck in failing school districts the opportunity to receive a first class education. Expanding programs such as the Educational Improvement Tax Credit will go a long way to offering these students an opportunity to escape a failing system. We must also empower parents to be a part of their children’s educational future. Studies show that parents who take the time to get involved in their children’s education can truly be a positive influence in their success. By encouraging parents, we can improve the chance for success for our children. The Swann Agenda Lynn Swann has proposed fundamental changes to our state’s education programs, including: * Increasing educational opportunity and improve schools by doubling the total credits available through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit (EITC) program; * Enacting fundamental reform of educational spending to ensure that more investments are made in the classrooms, not on administrative costs that do not teach children; * Examining the potential for designating Education Opportunity Zones (EOZs) for school districts in need of improvement to provide low-income and minority students with greater access to better performing schools; and * Implementing greater accountability by continuing to test students and measuring their progress while targeting resources to failing schools and rewarding high performance schools. ---- Pennsylvania Values Pennsylvania values have always been about hard work, determination, and the will to succeed. "It is important that the next Governor of Pennsylvania share the values of Pennsylvanians. I believe I share those core conservative values; spend less, tax less, protect the most innocent among us, govern in a compassionate way, and provide opportunity for all Pennsylvanians." - Lynn Swann Pennsylvania values have always been about hard work, determination, and the will to succeed. These values led Lynn Swann to stay in Pennsylvania after his playing days with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it is these values that helped create his core governing principals. Lynn Swann believes government has an obligation to be fiscally conservative with the taxpayers’ dollars. That is why he supports spending less and taxing less, so that government can get out of the way of business and individuals and allow you to keep more of what you make to invest how you see fit. Lynn Swann believes that the Commonwealth has an obligation to protect its citizens, including the most innocent among us - the unborn. As Governor, Lynn Swann would support extending protections to the unborn. If the Supreme Court overturns Roe. Vs. Wade, Lynn Swann would sign a bill the legislature sends him extending additional protections to the unborn. Until that time, Lynn Swann will continue attempting to create a culture of life, both by using legislation as well as using the bully pulpit of the office. He will work to reduce the numbers of abortions by encouraging alternatives, including adoption and abstinence. Compassion will top the governing agenda. Lynn Swann would make sure that government retains its role as a safety net for those who need it. By keeping government’s role to it’s key functions, we can help those who need it in a way that is both conservative and compassionate. Links * VIPs * Political elite Blogs * http://dumpswann.blogspot.com/ Swann Swann